28 Days Later
by Marcielle's Musings
Summary: Before the stories of the virus spread, everyone had thought that zombies and a zombie apocalypse would be cool. It would be a chance for the paranoid, video-gamers and those prepared for anything to shine and save the day. But once the closest thing to an actual zombie apocalypse happens... well, no one makes jokes about it anymore.
1. The Beginning

**28 Days Later **

Summary: Before the stories of the virus spread, everyone had thought that zombies and a zombie apocalypse would be cool. It would be a chance for the paranoid, video-gamers and those prepared for anything to shine and save the day. But once the closest thing to an actual zombie apocalypse happens... well, no one makes jokes about it anymore. Notes: This was pretty much to sate my need for a really long, zombie apocalypse / end of the world survival fic. I hope you enjoy it!

Work Text:

**28 Days Later**

Before the first stories of the virus had spread, everyone had thought that zombies and a zombie apocalypse would be cool. I mean, Stiles didn't know one person who hadn't at least _heard_ of The Walking Dead. But yeah, the idea of a zombie apocalypse had been cool. It would be a chance for the paranoid, video-gamers and those prepared for anything to shine and save the day. But once the closest thing to an actual zombie apocalypse happens...

Well, no one makes jokes about it anymore.

It started in Lebanon, or at least that's what most of the reports had said. Then it spread to Syria, Jordan and Israel in only a matter of days. The nearby countries had locked down their borders but somehow infected got through. A week after the first reports of the virus came out of Lebanon, most of Europe had been hit, the infected sweeping across the continent.

By the time reports were flooding out of Europe of infected that had somehow gotten in, the United States had already shut down its borders. _No one_ was coming into the States by either air, land or sea. America was on complete lockdown with its borders and coasts heavily policed, and military and navy firing on anything that approached.

But somehow... infected had snuck through the cracks. Some said they had come in on one of the last few flights out of China, England or Paris. Others said that an infected had come across from either Canada or Mexico. Either which way... they were here.

When Stiles saw the first report about the infected in Lebanon (only at a glance when he had opened up his browser) he had thought nothing of it. He'd had more pressing matters to deal with at the time. A new group of hunters had come through town that were of the opinion that the Argents 'weren't doing their job' so had taken the job of culling the local werewolf pack upon themselves. Joy.

When the pack had finally finished dealing with the hunters and Stiles had gotten a chance to just sit down and vege out on the sofa there were frantic reports all over the internet and tv about the 'VIRUS SWEAPING EUROPE' and 'HAS THE END AS WE KNOW IT, COME?'. From there it had only been a matter of time.

Like most teenagers, Stiles had taken online quizzes on the likeliness of his survival in a zombie apocalypse. He had always come up with a reasonably high chance of survival, (65-75% usually). And he had joked with Scott that if the event of a zombie apocalypse actually happened he would have an advantage because he was surrounded by super-strong-zombie-slaying-super-healing-werewolv es.

It wasn't a joke now.

When Stiles saw the reports his eyes had widened and he had frantically scrambled for his phone. Scrolling through his contacts he immediately pressed his thumb down on Scott's name.

Stiles held his breath the whole time the phone rang. "Come on Scott! Pick up!"

Finally, after three more rings, Scott picked up the phone, "Dude, what do you want? I was asleep. What could have possibly happened in the four hours since I saw-"

"A lot by the looks of it," Stiles snapped.

Stiles could tell that Scott could hear the frantic urgency and worry in his tone by the way his friend responded, "I'll be right there. Call Derek and we'll get the pack to meet at yours."

"-Kay." And then Scott hung up.

Fuck, would they ever catch a break?

Thumbing through his contacts, he pressed the group **PACK/ALPHA CRACK SQUAD** and sent out a mass text:

**Batman:** _Get to my place now. We have serious trouble._

Stiles also activated a handy app Danny had designed which set off the alarms on every member of the pack's phones.

Danny had made the app to inform the pack if one of them was in danger. Right about now Stiles' pack's phones would have their phone's alarms blaring and a message flashing across their screen with his name on it and his current location (thanks to the gps on his phone).

Not even five minutes after Stiles had sent the message and activated the app Scott came bursting through his front door fully wolfed out with Derek and Isaac flying through the open doorway not even seconds after.

"Whoa!"

The three wolves checked the room for a threat and when none was found Scott and Isaac looked at him with confused expressions. Derek on the other hand looked furious.

"That app was designed _for emergencies,_" Derek snarled while hauling him up from the sofa.

"This is an emergency. Look," and Stiles gestured at the tv which was currently showing a report on Greece which was currently overrun with infected.

Derek didn't even glance at the tv but Scott and Isaac did. What they saw made them gasp. Meanwhile, Stiles could hear the sounds of cars pulling into the drive. The pack was here.

Erica and Boyd came charging through the doorway with Lydia and Danny behind them only to stop still when they saw Scott and Isaac staring at the tv, gaping and Derek holding up Stiles by the collar of his shirt.

Lydia was the first to recover, "I don't see anyone dying painfully. Why am I here?"

Stiles ignored the glare Derek was levelling him with, and jabbed a thumb at the tv, "Look."

Now, all of them did, including Derek. On the screen was a shot from a helicopter showing the streets of Germany, infected swarming in the streets. People were running in every direction but there was no escape... it was a massacre. Now there was a woman on the screen; one of the local news anchors. She was interviewing a man, a doctor of some sort, who was talking about the infected – saying how it was simply a mutated strain of rabies which was proving to be 'extremely virulent'.

"So, Dr. Carter, how does the disease infect others and what can our viewers do to prevent infection?"

"Well, Lisa, the disease first infects the central nervous system before ultimately moving into the brain. The incubation period of the disease appears to be much more rapid than the typical strain of the rabies virus which usually takes a few months in humans, depending on the distance the virus must travel to reach the central nervous system. This strain appears to take merely a couple of hours at most to incubate and reach the central nervous system."

"Dr. Carter, you haven't mentioned what our viewers can do to prevent infection."

"Stay out of contact with any infected," the Dr. Said with a straight face, "I don't want to alarm anyone but thus far the situation in Europe, Africa and some parts of Asia is quite grim. As far as we know, no one infected with the disease has lived."

The news anchor visibly gulped before asking "So what can you tell me of the symptoms of the virus so that our viewers know what to be on the looks for?"

"As of yet there are no reports of infected within the United States since all borders were closed three days ago. Thus far, we have observed that the incubation period of the virus varies per victim. The longest incubation period observed was a little over thirteen hours and the shortest was just under two hours."

The news anchor gasped. It wasn't faked. She wasn't acting. She honestly looked a little bit terrified by what the Dr. Carter was saying.

She wasn't alone. Around him, the entire pack had their eyes glued to the screen, focused on what the interviewer was saying. Derek's hands hadn't moved from the collar of his shirt but the alpha, like the rest of his pack, was focused on the tv.

"T-that's a big difference..."

"Well, as I said earlier, it depends on the distance the virus must travel to reach the central nervous system. Like rabies, the virus can not spread through the air or water and must be transferred through bodily fluids."

"So it's like a STD?"

"In a way... yes, it is. However the disease can be transferred through the exchange of any bodily fluids. If a person kisses a person infected with the virus they will contract the disease. If a person gets the blood or saliva of an infected into an open wound they too will become infected. If a person has sex with a person who has been infected, they will become infected. The most common transference is through a bite from an infected."

"A bite? Could you elaborate on that for us?"

"Yes. Like most rabies victims, the first symptoms are pain and discoloration of the infected area; usually yellow and purple and immediate clotting of the wound if the victim was infected via a wound. Next the victim will suffer from a very high fever; usually 99 to 103 degrees F, chills, slight dementia, vomiting and acute pain in the joints. From there, the fever will increase and victims will suffer increased dementia, a loss of muscular coordination, a numbing of their extremities and the infected area. Within this stage, some infected have demonstrated increased vomiting... of blood. After this stage, infected suffer from paralysis in the lower body, overall numbness and a slowed heart rate. Eventually, victims fall into a coma, their hearts stop and zero brain activity is demonstrated."

"So basically, victims infected with the virus die between two to thirteen hours after infected... but you mentioned that the most common form of transference of the disease was through being bitten by a person infected with the disease..."

"That's what makes the disease different from the typical strain of rabies. Once infected essentially die... as in their heart stops and there is zero brain activity... they reanimate... slowly at first, and then violently. Within this stage, victims demonstrate increased aggression, amnesia and violent outbursts which lead them to attack and infect those without the virus. Those within this stage of the disease demonstrate no care of their own bodies, often seen beating themselves against walls, doors and windows in order to get at those not infected."

The anchor was shaking visibly by now, "A-and is there any cure? Is anyone working on a cure for this disease which is flooding through Europe, Asia and Africa?"

"As of yet, no there is no cure. However, scientists and doctors around the world are working night and day to find a cure for the disease-"

The doctor was cut off by a sob as the news anchor ran off the stage crying. The camera stayed focused on the Doctor before cutting off to show footage shot in Egypt by a teenager who had obviously been live streaming.

There are people screaming and infected running in the streets below. Then there is a growl from behind the camera on the phone. The phone is whipped around and an infected is charging at the boy holding the phone. He drops the phone. The camera is facing up. He can hear the boy screaming...There is blood splattered across the screen and Stiles can hear the squelching sound of mangled flesh being torn into. Then the screen goes dark.

The pack all whipped their heads around to face Stiles who is holding the remote for the tv, his finger on the power button.

Inside Stiles was panicking because basically, _zombies. _Motherfucking _zombies_... a ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE. But he has to keep at least relatively calm for the pack. "I think this constitutes as an emergency, don't you? This is probably why I haven't seen my dad the last three days,"

"Yeah," Scott said from the couch, "My Mom's been working double shifts for the past two days... I didn't think to ask why, what with the hunters..."

"Jackson," Lydia, who had been silent up until then, whimpered.

"Shit," cursed Stiles. He had completely forgotten that Jackson was in England. By now, London was swarming with infected. Hopefully Jackson had managed to survive but there was no way they could know for sure.

The pack was silent for a few minutes before Isaac piped up.

"But what can we do about this?" Isaac asked, "I mean can werewolves even become zombies or will our accelerated healing prevent the disease from taking?"

The last question was directed at Derek whose face was creepily blank. That was Derek's thinking face... but he also looked lost, like he had no answers for them but was afraid to say so...

"How on earth should Derek know if this disease affects werewolves?" Stiles blurted out and the pack's eyes all moved away from Derek and over to him. Derek look relieved. "Let's just act as if werewolves can be infected. That way if it turns out that werewolves _can't_ be infected it will be a pleasant surprise. I would rather not test that hypothesis, if you don't mind."

There were nods all around. The pack continued to look at him. Shit, if this was how Derek felt all the time, like they're all looking to him for all the answers, then Stiles didn't envy him.

"So what should we do?" Erica asked. She sounded small again, huddled against Boyd's side and clutching Isaac's hand. They were looking at him now for answers.

"I think we should start gathering supplies like food, water, batteries, gas bottles, weapons, camping gear and the like because if the rate that this disease is travelling is any indication, it's only a matter of time before it hits the States..." Stiles was pacing now, thoughts flying through his head "I think we should bring our families here and tell them about the pack because if all goes to shit... they deserve to know and it will be a hindrance if you guys have to hide it. We should also look for a nearby defensible position, away from the city, near a natural water source, somewhere north of here maybe... and we should definitely talk to Allison and Mr. Argent because I personally would like trained hunters with us if we have to fight off infected. "

There were all looking at him. Waiting for an order? Stiles glanced over his shoulder at Derek. Their eyes connected and Derek nodded.

"All of you call your families and get them here. I don't care if they're busy, get them here. We're going to get this out of the way and then we're going to start preparing," Derek ordered.

Stiles pulled out his phone and called his dad, the rest of the pack following his lead. Derek pulled out his phone too. He was probably calling Peter or maybe the Argents?

I took three rings for his Dad to pick up, "Sorry Stiles I can't talk right now, I'm really busy at work at the moment-"

"That's what I want to talk to you about, Dad," Stiles interrupted, "I need you to come home. The others are bringing their parents here as well. It's high time we told you what's going on."

"Stiles I-" his Dad tried to say before Stiles interrupted him again. He needed his Dad to listen for once.

"You know I wouldn't ask you to come home if it wasn't gravely important. I'm sorry, Dad. It can't wait... Please, I need you here," Stiles finished. He knew it was a low blow but his Dad needed to be here if only to help calm the other parents down when they learned that their children were werewolves.

He could hear his Dad sigh on the other side of the line. He could imagine what his Dad's face looked like right now. He was probably running his hand down his face while looking around himself with a lost expression... "Alright, I'll be home in half an hour. I just need to finish something off here and then I'll be there. This better be important Stiles..."

"It is Dad," sighed Stiles as he rubbed his head in frustration. This was going to be harder and more painful than he had first thought. The pack's parents probably weren't going to take this well. "I love you, Dad."

"I love you too, son. I'll be home as soon as I can."

"Okay... Bye, Dad."

His father hung up.

Erica and Derek were scowling with their phones held up to their ears. Boyd and Danny were calmly talking to their parents. Lydia and Scott were off their phones and Isaac was still sitting on the couch... He'd never pulled out his phone.

It was hard to think of Isaac as an orphan because normally it never came up or Stiles was just too busy dealing with either school or werewolf related problems. Isaac had no one... No one except the pack.

Walking over, Stiles shoved Scott over to make room and plonked down in the middle of the couch, next to Isaac. Stiles bumped his shoulder against Isaac's companionably and settled down to wait for the rest of the pack to finish their phone calls.

Lydia was the first to speak, "My mother was not pleased that I interrupted her salon time and my Dad well... they'll be here. My sister... she didn't even pick up the phone."

Erica was next, "My Mom and Dad were pleased to hear that I would be explaining what has been going on for the past year but were curious as to why it was happening at the Sheriff's house. They think I'm in trouble again. That or I'm fucking Stiles."

"Same," said Boyd, "Except for the fucking Stiles part."

"Thanks man, I feel the love," Stiles grinned up at Boyd.

Some of the tension in the room evaporated. Everyone was tense and nervous, Stiles included. Not only about telling their parents about the pack but also the impending apocalypse.

"My family will be here soon," said Danny.

"My mom will be here in half an hour. She just has to get someone to cover her shift for her. I already explained what we were doing and she said she would try and help calm down the parents if things get out of hand," Scott piped up from beside Stiles.

"Peter should be here in ten minutes," Derek said with a very prominent scowl on his forehead. Their alpha was obviously not looking forward to the upcoming conversation. Especially since most of the parents would probably take out their anger on him since Derek _was _the one to bite their children and turn them into werewolves.

"Should we call Allison and Mr. Argent now or after we've told our parents?" Stiles asked, looking up at Derek.

"Later. This is pack business."

And that was that. Now all they could do was wait.


	2. Parents Meet Pack

**Chapter 2: Parents Meet Pack**

~28 Days Later~

Mrs. McCall was the first to arrive with Erica's parents showing up soon after. There were not nearly enough chairs in Stiles' living room to seat everyone but Stiles, Scott and Isaac all shifted off the couch to sit on the floor.

Mrs. McCall was entertaining Erica's parents while the pack waited for the rest of the parents to arrive. Instead of standing with her parents, Erica was standing on the complete opposite side of the room, next to Derek and Boyd and it was making the atmosphere in the room even tense. Erica's parents had given Boyd, Stiles, Danny and Derek the stink eye the second they had walked in the door. For some reason Isaac and Scott were not included in the general stink eye but that's probably because they both looked like harmless puppies at the moment.

His Dad was the next one through the door and a shocked look passed over his face when he saw the group gathered in his living room.

"Stiles could I speak to you for a moment?"

Shit. His dad was _not_ happy. "Yeah, sure" Stiles muttered as he stood and picked his way through the tangled limbs of his pack members.

When he reached the front hall his Dad grabbed his shoulder and herded him into the kitchen. That wouldn't stop his nosy pack from eavesdropping but his Dad didn't know about that... Well not yet at least.

"What's going on, Stiles? Who are all of these people? Why are they here?" his Dad asked the second they were in the kitchen.

Stiles sighed and rubbed a hand through his hair, "I promised I would explain what has been going on recently and I will. We _all_ will but we have to wait for everyone else's families to arrive, first."

"Just how many people are coming, Stiles? Our living room isn't that big."

"Around ten more people and we'll make do. What we have to tell you is far more important than seating arrangements, Dad."

His Dad did not look happy but at least he looked reasonably accepting of what Stiles had told him. Or maybe it was more resigned than acceptance since he also looked a little bit worried.

"Shit, Stiles. What have you gotten yourself into, kid?"

Stiles tried to smile but it probably came out as more of a grimace, "Nothing too bad. You'll see once everyone's here. But just know that if I had the option to change anything, I wouldn't... Well except for accusing Derek of all that crap at the beginning of last school year because that was a dick move."

"We'll talk about _Hale_ and what he's doing here, later, once everyone else has left."

Stiles shifted from foot to foot, "I don't think you'll need to... " Stiles trailed off, "Just trust me, ok? And I need you to lock your gun up in the safe upstairs. It's not that I don't trust you but I would feel a lot better if you weren't able to shoot my friends when you hear what we have to say."

"Stiles... You know I wouldn't- Fine, but this better be one hell of an explanation," his Dad finished before walking past him to go upstairs to put his gun away.

Stiles walked back into the living room. There were even more people now than when he had left. Obviously, Boyd's parents and his two younger sisters had arrived as well as Danny's parents and older brother. And, _oh great..._

Peter had also arrived by the look of it. Don't get him wrong, Stiles liked Peter's rather dark sense of humour but he was also an A-grade creeper and Derek's zombie uncle. Well... 'zombie' in the sense that he had risen from the grave not that he was one of the infected rage monsters running around.

But yeah, the room had this heavy anxious feeling and if _Stiles _was feeling it, the puppies must be choking on it with their super-secret-wolf-powers enhancing their senses.

Mrs. McCall was giving Peter shifty looks and kept glancing between the older werewolf and Scotty-boy.

The only people missing were Lydia's parents and if the prim look on Lydia's face was any sign, she was worried they wouldn't show.

Then the doorbell rang. When no one made a move to get it, Stiles figured that the job had been delegated to him.

"I got it," said Stiles as he walked to the front door.

On the other side, once he opened the door were Lydia's parents. They didn't exactly look pleased to be standing on the Stilinski front porch. In fact they looked like they would rather be anywhere other than here, if the way that they were sticking their noses up in the air was any indication.

"Just this way," Stiles said while stepping to the side to let Mr. and Mrs. Martin pass and indicating they move to the living room.

Mr. and Mrs. Martin gave him an odd look before moving to the living room. It was a bit like the look Lydia used to give him before she realised that he was an _actual human being_ instead of a bug underneath her shoe.

Mr. and Mrs. Martin stood off to the side of the living room, obviously uncomfortable in their present company.

If any of Stiles' plans for survival were to work, that needed to change. Walking into the room, Stiles made eye contact with each member of the pack and indicated that they should move away from their parents and sit together or stand on the far side of the room.

Having their kids on the other side of the room would probably make the parents even more anxious but this was going to be stressful enough without any unnecessary shifting. No, the pack would be better off standing together.

Isaac, Erica, Boyd and Danny sat down on the floor in front of Derek. Peter was standing in the corner, behind Derek on the left and Scott was on Derek's right. Mrs. McCall had also moved to stand behind Scott when she had noticed the pack shifting to the other side of the room.

Mrs. McCall wasn't completely pack like the rest of them but she was closer than all of the other parents and she knew about the pack's 'furry little problem'.

Lydia, in her typical Lydia fashion, was seated on the arm of the couch closest to the pack as if it was a throne.

To Stiles they truly looked like a pack. It made him fill with pride. They had worked hard to get this far and had been through lots of supernatural shit to get here.

Stiles moved to stand on Scott's right-hand side.

By the time his Dad walked back into the living room you could practically taste the tension in the room. From the way all of the werewolves' shoulders were hunched, he could tell that it must be at least ten times worse for them.

His father took in the scene; his son on the other side of the room and most of the parents on the other... He leaned against the doorway and looked at Stiles.

This was it. This was the moment that would change everything.

"Does someone mind telling me why we're here?!" Lydia's father snapped.

Stiles and Scott shared a look before glancing at Derek. Shit, Derek looked completely blank. This was obviously not his forte. On a normal day, Derek wasn't a big talker unless he was lecturing and this... This was not Derek's stage. He didn't really talk to many people outside of the pack after the fiasco with Ms. Blake.

This was _his_ stage.

With one last glance at his pack, Stiles stepped between Boyd and Danny to stand in front of the pack. All eyes snapped to him but Stiles paid the shocked looks he was getting from his pack no mind. He wasn't here to convince his pack. He was here to convince their parents and his Dad.

Shit.

_'Believe, Stiles. You can do this. If you can take on an Alpha pack with just a baseball bat made of Mountain Ash then you can do a little public speaking.' _Stiles thought to himself as he took in a deep steadying breath. He could do this.

Stiles' eyes snapped open and locked onto Mr. Martin's, "You're _here, _Mr. Martin because what we are about to tell you concerns your daughter."

Stiles turned to Boyd's parents "It concerns your son, Mr. and Mrs. Boyd and your daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Reyes" as he looked at, Erica's parents.

"And your son, Mr. and Mrs. Mahealani," as he looked over at Danny's parents and finally he looked at his Dad, "And me."

Before any of them could interrupt, Stiles continued "We all agreed as a group that it was about time we told you what is going on and after all the worry and questions you've probably had the past two years, you all _deserve_ to know. And since the world seems to be going to shit, it would only be a hindrance if we had to hide this from you while trying to survive. This way we will be able to do our jobs and protect you all more effectively."

"What do you mean protect us?"

Stiles looked over at the man who had spoken. This must be Danny's older brother. Danny didn't speak about him often, only in passing, but then again... the pack normally didn't talk about their families, something that they really needed to change if they were all going to survive this intact.

Stiles made sure to make eye contact with Danny's brother, "I mean just exactly that. When the virus reaches the United States, which it will, _we_ will be better equipped to protect all of you if we don't have the additional worry of trying to hide our secret."

"What secret? What have you gotten our daughter involved in?"

Stiles' eyes moved to Mrs. Reyes, who had asked the multi-million dollar question, before moving to make eye contact with all of the other parents... including his dad who was staring at him in a mixture of pride and worry.

Then Derek stepped forward to stand next to him, "We're werewolves."

As expected, all hell broke loose.

* * *

"Is this a joke?!"

"Oh my God, you got our daughter involved in a cult!"

"That's it Lydia you're coming with us, now."

"Are you kidding me?!"

"Daddy, is Vernon really a werewolf?"

"No, sweetie."

Stiles stood in front of the pack by Derek's side, watching as their parents freaked out. All except... his Dad who was looking at the pack, then at Derek and then Stiles. He didn't look like he was freaking out. In fact, he would say his Dad looked contemplative as if all the crap that had been happening in this town was finally making sense.

Then his Dad made eye contact with him and Stiles knew that it was time to get control back over this little meeting.

Stiles reached down and tapped Derek's wrist. Derek raised an eyebrow, silently asking 'What?' and Stiles indicated the pack's family, "Now."

The room was suddenly filled with a low pitched growl as all of the wolves in the pack 'wolfed-out'. Then there was silence.

The parents were completely silent as they gaped and stared wide-eyed at their children.

And then the yelling and screaming started.

All the parents were shouting at once and there was definitely some cursing. Stiles' Dad, on the other hand, was just staring at him. He didn't know if this was a good thing or a bad thing.

The wolves shifted back and they all waited in silence for their parents to calm down.

When it didn't look like they were going to stop yelling at both the pack and each other any time soon, Stiles took matters into his own hands. Looking inward for the spark that made his small amount of shamanic magic possible, Stiles gave it a tug, _believed,_ and pulled out the small knife he carried in a sheath on his forearm. With a few quick flicks of the knife, a ward was cut into the palm of his hand and Stiles took a few steps forward and slammed his palm down on the wooden coffee table in the middle of the room.

The whole house shook and a small golden light escaped from under his palm as the protection seal he'd been thinking of, activated and warded the house.

His Dad's eyes bugged out and Stiles shot him a sheepish grin.

At least all of the parents had stopped shouting now and were looking at Stiles in... Holy shit, was that fear? It was time to fix this. "Scott, Isaac, Boyd, Erica, Danny and Peter are Betas. Derek is the Alpha. Lydia is immune and is our resident brilliant banshee, Mrs. McCall is our medic and I'm a Red. Together we are the Beacon Hills Pack."

Stiles paused to glance over at Derek, who nodded, before continuing, "The Hale family have been werewolves for centuries. Peter and Derek are born werewolves and I guess you could say that all of this began when Kate Argent murdered the entire Hale family except for Derek, Peter, Cora and Laura. The Argent family, like the Hales, have been werewolf hunters for centuries. Normally, the Argent family follows a code; _we hunt those who hunt us_. But Kate ignored the code and killed most of Derek and Peter's family; both werewolves _and_ human."

The parent's were all listening attentively now and Stiles glanced over at Derek to see if it was ok to continue. Derek gave him another small nod but it looked like this explanation was taking its toll. Derek normally didn't talk about the fire or Kate unless absolutely necessary. Stiles didn't blame him. Neither he, nor his father talked about his mother unless his dad was drunk.

"Peter was severely burnt during the fire and was comatose up until last year when he woke up, alone and without a pack. After accidentally killing Laura during the full moon, Peter bit Scott thus turning him into a werewolf. Derek and I helped Scott through the transitional phase and with Jackson's help transferred the rights of the Alpha to Derek. In exchange for Jackson's help, he requested that Derek turn him into a werewolf. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, the bite didn't take and Jackson was transformed into a Kanima. While in the Kanima form, Jackson had no recollection of his doings because he was being controlled. Matt controlled the Kanima first and then Gerard killed Matt and took control of the Kanima as tool for revenge. With Lydia's help, we were able to change Jackson back into a werewolf... and then Jackson left and our problems with the Alpha Pack started..." Stiles trailed off. The Alpha Pack wasn't a pleasant memory for anyone, especially after Cora and Ms. Blake's betrayal.

"Let's just say that once we were done dealing with the Alpha Pack we were a much closer group than before," Scott interjected as he stepped forward to join Stiles and Derek, "Erica and Boyd were kidnapped by the Alpha Pack and put into a dream state until we rescued them. Danny joined us after he got pulled into the conflict because he was dating one of the Alpha Twins. Lydia and Stiles trained with Dr. Deaton and figured out how to stop the Darach's sacrifices, while Isaac, Peter and I trained with Derek and together we rescued Erica and Boyd and defeated the Alpha Pack."

The parents looked rather shell shocked but Stiles' Dad looked like everything was finally clicking. All of those unexplained murders, people going missing and 'animal attacks' were finally being explained.

"Werewolves... I can't- Werewolves?!" Mr. Reyes shouted, "You've got to be kidding me! You expect us to believe this crap?! That you've been fighting against other werewolves?! Come on Erica, we're taking you home right now and you're not going to see any of these delinquents ever again."

Erica stood up, "No. It's about time you listened to what _I want. _My whole life you've told me '_No Erica, you can't do that because of your epilepsy'_ or '_You know that we can't let you go over to a friend's house for a sleepover. What if you have an attack?'_ Well now I'm better! I only get an attack if I'm severely injured! The bite has pretty much given me the chance to do anything and everything I have ever wanted to do that _I couldn't before_ because of my epilepsy. The bite has also given me some of the best friends I've ever had! We're like a family... a pack. So, no, I'm not going to leave them just because you say so."

"Erica Marie Reyes, you come over here this instant," Mr. Reyes snapped, "We are going to go straight home and you are never going to see these freaks ever again."

"Freaks?! If they're freaks then so am I! And you wonder why I never said anything!" Erica wolfed out and snapped at her Dad then she turned to look at all of the other parents who were shooting her looks of horror and disgust at the wolfed out form "You wonder why none of us said anything! Look at how you look at me, like I'm something feral and disgusting."

Stiles couldn't take much more of this. They all knew that this conversation was never going to be easy but they had never imagined it to be this bad. Stiles guessed they had been lying to themselves. None of them had wanted to think that their own parents would reject them simply because they were werewolves or in a werewolf pack.

But before Stiles could move to comfort Erica, Derek had already collected the now teary girl in his arms. Erica, knowing her Alpha would protect her, snuggled into the warmth and comfort Derek's form offered.

"You take your filthy hands off my daughter this instant!" Mr. Reyes snarled while trying to make his way across the room to physically _grab_ Erica and _drag_ her out of Derek's arms.

But before Mr. Reyes could even make it half-way across the room Derek had pushed Erica into Stiles' arms and roared at Mr. Reyes, his fangs out and eyes glowing their normal blood red.

Mr. Reyes froze, his arm extended towards Erica.

Most humans, even if they aren't in a wolf pack, can sense when a predator is nearby. The hairs on the back of your neck stick up, your heartbeat accelerates rapidly and your body floods with adrenaline as it prepares to either fight or flee. Your hearing and reflexes improve marginally and you focus on one thing how can I survive.

That was what was happening to Mr. Reyes.

All the werewolves picked up on the flash of fear, the increase in heartbeat and perspiration in the room as Mr. Reyes faced down their Alpha. Erica's Dad wasn't the only one scared by the display.

They were at a standstill. The only sounds in the room were rapid heartbeats and Erica's muffled crying as she cried into Stiles' hoodie.

"Hey, come on Catwoman. You're ok. I got you. _We_ got you. We're pack, we're not going anywhere. And where would we be without our Catwoman?" Stiles whispered to the distraught girl in his arms while tucking a stray blond curl behind her ear.

Derek didn't move from his defensive stance in front of the pack and Mr. Reyes didn't move a muscle, his instincts telling him not to antagonise the predator into attacking. But the rest of the pack stood up and moved forward to encircle Stiles and Erica.

Boyd pulled both Stiles and Erica into his arms and Isaac hugged his arms around Erica's waist and rested his head on her shoulder. Scott came to stand beside Stiles and rested his head on Stiles' arm that was holding Erica. Danny and Lydia moved to stand on the Parent side of the pack hug and reached out arms of comfort. Even Mrs. McCall and Peter moved forward to offer silent comfort.

This was what they had survived and worked so hard for, the last few months.

They were a family - They were a pack.

Why couldn't their families see that that was _a good thing_?

* * *

**A/N: **Hey guys, Marci here! I hope you enjoyed the next chapter of 28 Days Later. I would love to hear what you thought of it. So feel free to review with any comments or constructive criticisms.

Thanks,

~Marci~


	3. Where the Dice Falls

**Chapter 3: Where the Dice Falls**

**~ 28 Days Later ~**

The room was still tense by the time Erica had stopped crying. Stiles had known that there had been a lot of tension between Erica and her family. First, because of her sudden personality shift and the mysterious disappearance of any of her epilepsy symptoms and second, because of her and Boyd 'running away'. So yeah, while the pack might not talk about their respective families much, Stiles had still known that Erica was having a tough time with her family. There was a reason she was found most nights either sleeping at Boyd's or at Derek's loft.

But he had thought (perhaps naively) that finding out that their daughter was a werewolf instead of being in a cult or doing drugs would have been comforting... Obviously, that wasn't the case.

Derek was still standing like a human (or should he say werewolf?) shield in front of the pack and Erica's Dad was still frozen in front of Derek, not daring to move a muscle.

Stiles could practically taste the tension in the room. It tasted like stale sweat and the jittery anxious feeling that he got whenever the station called when his dad _was already at work_...

No one was saying anything. Everyone was waiting for something. For what, he had no idea, but someone needed to break the tension that was drowning the room. Looks like it would have to fall to him... Again.

Stiles sighed and took a step back from Erica so that he could get a good look at her. "You gonna be okay, Catwoman?"

Erica gave a watery smile up at Stiles, "Yeah. Sorry for blubbering all over you."

Stiles scoffed "Come on, you know me! Batman extraordinaire, werewolf obedience trainer and shoulder to cry on. It's practically in my job description," Stiles finished with a roughish grin that managed to get a giggle and a playful shove out of Erica.

Silently, Lydia pulled out a tissue from her handbag and passed it over, "Here, and when you're done, I'll fix your makeup for you."

Erica nodded and shot a thankful smile at Lydia while she wiped the remaining tears and smudged makeup away with the tissue.

At first there had been a gaping chasm in Lydia and Erica's relationship. Let's be honest, the two women had hated each other. It wasn't really a mystery why either. They had both been Alpha females in their own little groups and naturally, they had clashed.

It wasn't until the pack had finally come together that Lydia and Erica formed a truce. And if that wasn't a day to go down in the history books, Stiles didn't know what was.

Lydia and Erica now made quite the fearsome team. Any man that approached them had better be wary because there was a likely chance that if they pissed off either Lydia or Erica, they would have their face clawed and their dick speared on one of the girl's _immensely_ sharp heels. He had seen many a cocky man approach the two Alpha females and practically run away crying when they crushed his heart and kicked his pride in the balls.

Needless to say, Stiles was _very grateful_ that both Lydia and Erica liked him (to a degree).

With Erica now taken care of, it was high time someone fixed the tension in the room. Silently, Stiles slipped out of the pack hug and moved to stand next to Derek.

Mr. Reyes' eyes flicked to Stiles, obviously checking to see if he was a threat but the scared man didn't move a muscle. Derek's glowing red eyes were still trained on Erica's Dad as if daring the other man to _move_ _even just the slightest_ so he would have an excuse to bare his fangs menacingly or some other wolfy equivalent that probably involved teeth, throats and lots and lots of blood and overall suffering.

Stiles cleared his throat. The other parent's eyes snapped to Stiles, "I think it would be best Mr. Reyes if you didn't go around threatening _my pack_."

The room was silent and none of the tension had faded. Boyd's little sisters (he thinks one of them is called Alicia but he's not sure) even looked a little bit _scared_. Crap. This was _not_ what they had wanted.

Stiles ran his hand through his hair with an aggravated sigh. This was not what he was used to. He was used to facing down other werewolf packs, witches, hunters or other threats to the town... not their parents.

And that was the problem. They had all been facing this, at least instinctively, as if they were facing a threat.

Stiles tapped the back of his hand against Derek's hip. Derek needed to stop with the posturing because it really wasn't helping. He knew that Derek was simply trying to prevent what he saw as an outside threat from harming their pack but... it was also _their families_.

Putting on a smile, Stiles playfully nudged Derek, "Come on, stop being such a Sourwolf and cool it with the Terminator eyes. I think he gets the picture."

Stiles made eye contact with one of Boyd's younger sisters, "Sorry 'bout him. He can be such a grumpy Alpha sometimes. But wha'cha gonna do, he was raised by wolves."

Derek rolled his eyes but his posture also shifted so that he was no longer in a defensive position.

The tension in the room lessened somewhat but there was still an underlying unease in the room. Stiles didn't really know how to fix this. It was obvious Derek was thinking the same. Thankfully they were saved my Mrs. McCall who had stepped forward.

"I know how you all must be feeling. I remember feeling exactly the same after I found out that my son, Scott, was a werewolf. I was shocked, hurt and a little bit scared. I mean it's not every day that you find out that, not only are mythical creatures like _werewolves_ real, but that a your child or brother or sister is one of them. But what you all have to remember is that they are _still _your child, or your brother or your sister. They still are the same person they were before the bite but can just become slightly furry every once in a while," Mrs. McCall finished with a small grin.

The room was quite for a bit before Stiles Dad spoke up, "So son, what was that earlier with the knife and the light?"

Stiles nervously rubbed his neck, "Well, uh, Dad there is an excellent explanation for that-"

"_Stiles_."

"Okay, okay! It's just that I'mkindofmagic."

His Dad sighed and Stiles could _just sense_ Derek rolling his eyes. One day their Alpha was going to roll his eyes right out of his head. You never know, with all the supernatural crap they face, eyes rolling out of someone's head might just be possible.

"Ok, Stiles and could you repeat that at a human pace?" his Dad asked.

Stiles swallowed. His mouth felt dry even though he knew he wasn't thirsty. "I'm kind of magic, Dad."

"What do you mean kind of?"

All of the parents were looking on interestedly.

"Well, I can do magic... sort of," Stiles explained before quickly adding, "It's sort of like a shaman thing except because I'm part of a pack we're technically called Reds. Those not attached to a pack, like Dr. Deaton, are called Guides. But I'm not like a witch or anything. I can't turn a person into a frog or levitate things like in Harry Potter, but wouldn't that be cool if I could? Oh and I don't need a wand or anything but my kind of magic does rely on components. I just create the spark that activates what's already there. And I can do pack magic but yeah that's it."

Stiles' Dad looked contemplative "Ok, I'm going to be honest and say that I didn't understand even half of that but you will have plenty of time to explain at a later date. So basically you're this little 'pack' of yours' witch-doctor?"

"Uh... yeah, I guess that kind of sums it up. But uh, Dad? Um, are we good?" Stiles asked nervously. He could feel Derek react to his anxiousness. The rest of the pack probably was as well. Everything kind of hinged on this. If their parents didn't accept them then... well they really didn't know what they were going to do. It's not like they could leave the pack, not after all the work they had put into making it a _real pack_. And if Stiles' Dad in particular was against Stiles being in a pack of werewolves then he could easily make problems for the rest of the pack, Derek and Pater in particular.

"No Stiles, we're not good."

Stiles heart plummeted.

This was his fault. He had made the rift between them too big to mend. The lies had grown too much and now... Oh God, he'd just lost his father. He couldn't feel his legs. He was going to collapse. Oh God, he couldn't breathe. His heart was constricting and he couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe. Everything was fuzzy and black spots were coming up in his vision. His brain wasn't getting enough oxygen. He was having a panic attack. He-

-tiles! Stiles!"

That was Derek. But why was he shouting? Oh, he was on the ground. His legs must have collapsed.

"Stiles! You need to breathe!"

Someone was shaking him. It must be Derek. But Derek was in front of him and someone was holding his hand and there was someone else holding his head off of the ground, too.

"Come on, buddy, everything's gonna be ok but you need to breathe. Just take deep breaths like me okay?"

That was Scott. He was a good best-friend. So that's who was holding his head up. Then who had his hand?

"Come on, son, deep breaths."

It was his Dad. His Dad was holding his hand. He looked worried. They all did. Hell, even creepy Uncle Peter looked mildly concerned. Stiles was touched.

When Stiles finally got his breathing under control, his Dad stepped back and Scott helped him to his feet. Then his Dad pulled him into a huge hug, "I'm sorry, son for causing you to panic. I love you, Stiles and nothing, not even werewolves, magic and banshees are going to change that."

Then his Dad pulled out of the hug and held Stiles at arm's length. "What I meant is that we're not good. Not now. You've been lying to me for _two years_. You've been fighting werewolves, hunters, witches and God knows what else and you never thought that I might deserve to know. Not only as your father, whose job it is to protect you from stuff like, this but also as the Sheriff of this town. So no, Stiles, we're not good. But we will be. And I expect a much more detailed explanation of what's been going on the last couple of years but that can wait for later."

All Stiles could do was nod. He couldn't speak. The words were stuck in his throat as his body flooded with relief. He _still had his Dad_.

It seemed like Stiles and his Dad's conversation had kick-started the rest of them. Lydia and Danny walked across the room and went to stand with their parents and immediately started talking. Danny's older brother pulled Danny into a playful headlock and Lydia's Mom and Dad had pulled her into a hug the second she got within reach, reassuring her that she still loved her and that she was perfect the way she was and that nothing would change that.

Danny batted and whined at his brother but it was clear that he didn't mind that much. With his new werewolf strength he could have easily put his brother in a headlock but instead he suffered through it.

Lydia, ever the goddess looked regal amongst her parents but it was obvious, at least to Stiles, that she was happy that her parents were understanding.

Meanwhile Boyd's parents and younger sisters had gone over to where he was standing with Erica and Isaac. The Sour-Pack Kids were staying together.

Everything was looking up except... Erica's parents still hadn't moved and it was evident that Erica wasn't going to go over to them. Not after what her father had said. Hopefully, they would be able to repair their relationship. He didn't want them to be broken forever, especially not with a zombie apocalypse approaching. From now on out, every moment counted.

After all, you never knew if it was going to be your last.

* * *

**~ 28 Days Later ~**

While the Pack's families had been talking, Derek had moved back to stand in one of the corners of the room, ready to step in if one of his pack needed him, but it didn't look like they would.

"Our Little Red has come quite far, wouldn't you agree?" Peter drawled as he walked over to stand beside him.

Derek glared at his uncle but didn't say anything. Saying something would only encourage Peter to continue speaking to him. Which was the last thing he wanted.

Derek wasn't sure what to do with Peter. No one in the pack was, really. It was obvious that he was _with_ the pack, especially after Cora's betrayal, but there was no doubt that his uncle's sanity was debatable. And if Derek decided to do something that Peter disagreed with, then Peter would go behind his back and find another way... Usually by getting Stiles' help.

One thing Derek _really _didn't like was his uncle's fascination with Stiles.

"Oh, come on, Derek, aren't you proud of Stiles?" Peter goaded, "After all, he practically did your job for you. It makes you wonder who's in charge sometimes, the Big Bad Wolf or Little Red?"

Derek bared his teeth in his uncle's direction and let out a low level growl.

Peter put up his hands in mock-innocence, "Calm down, everyone knows you're the Alpha, what with you reminding them every few minutes. All I was saying is that Stiles demonstrates many admirable qualities."

Derek grabbed the collar of his uncle's coat and slammed him into the wall with a soft thud "Stay away from him, Peter," Derek snarled in the other wolf's face.

"Now why would I do that, nephew dearest?" Peter drawled, not looking even the slightest bit worried, "After all, Stiles is one of the only people in this rabble you call a pack, who offers a decent conversation. Lydia does as well but she seems to have a rather strong dislike of me."

"I can't imagine why," Derek snapped.

Derek maintained eye contact with Peter for another minute before finally releasing Peter and stepping away.

It wasn't like it mattered. None of the normal things that would make a beta back down and submit to their Alpha worked on Peter. Derek wasn't sure if that was because Peter was his uncle or because Peter was still slightly insane.

One never knew where the dice would fall with Peter.

Derek didn't like it.

* * *

**~ 28 Days Later ~**

It had been a little over half an hour now since the pack had finally started talking to their respective parents, except Erica, which was worrying. Now more than ever, the pack needed stability and unity. Thankfully, Boyd's family had welcomed both Erica and Isaac into their conversation.

It had been funny when Boyd's youngest sister, Bethany had asked Boyd to shift. With a quick glance over at Derek first, to see if it was ok, Boyd had wolfed-out. His sisters had then proceeded to poke and prod at his face. Stiles now knew why Boyd seemed to have infinite patience for the pack's antics.

Erica and Isaac had burst out laughing when Alicia, Boyd's other younger sister, had pulled on Boyd's sideburns and said, "Dude, you really need to shave those side burns. It is not a good look on you."

Boyd had just scoffed and said, "Gee thanks, sis."

After that, Isaac had wandered over to Scott and Mrs. McCall who had been across the other side of the room talking to Danny's family.

Stiles was happy that most of the pack's parents had accepted the fact that their kids were in a wolf pack, readily enough and Stiles wished he could let them all talk and get to know each other for hours but they really didn't have time.

They needed to start preparing for what they were going to do, now. They could all get to know each other better once they were safe and there was no chance that they would get attacked by zombies.

_Freaking ZOMBIES!_ Stiles was still nowhere near done freaking out about that.

"Son?"

Stiles looked over at his Dad. Like the other families, Stiles had been talking with his Dad about what had been happening both with him, and in Beacon Hills in general, over the past two years. They still had a lot more to talk about but Stiles could tell that their conversation was already well on it's way to repairing the broken bond of trust between them.

"Us telling you guys about the pack was only half of the reason why we wanted you all to come here," Stiles explained.

His Dad got a frustrated look on his face, "What is it now Stiles? What haven't you told us?"

Stiles made an abortive gesture (well it was more like a flail but hey, give him some credit), "No, no, no, nothing like that. It's just that with the disease, infection, whatever they're calling it. We need to plan what we're going to do. How we're going to stay _together_ and stay _safe_ once the virus gets past the border and into the States, _which it will_, it's only a matter of time, you know this. So... yeah."

His Dad sighed like the weight of the world was on his shoulders, "Stiles, the borders have been shut down, so the chances of any infected getting through are slim and if they do manage to get through, the borders are also heavily patrolled so they won't get far."

"But, Dad, I really think we should start preparing for the worst. I mean how do we know that some infected didn't get through before the borders closed? What if-"

"That's enough, Stiles." Stiles' Dad interrupted. "I have an entire town to take care of and the last thing I need is you creating panic. It will be hard enough keeping everyone calm. Did you know that since news of this 'zombie-virus' has started, there have been more robberies, looting and cases of battery and assault than I have ever seen in this town. People are scared, Stiles. And when people are scared they do irrational things that they think will make them safe. To tell you the truth, if infected _do_ get into the country somehow, I'm more worried about what _people _will do than the infected."

"I get that, Dad. I do-" Stiles tried to interject before his Dad started speaking again.

"I don't think you do, son. If and or when the virus reaches Beacon Hills, there will be riots, murder and general mayhem and it's my job as Sheriff to try and prevent that."

Fear curled around Stiles' heart. He loved his Dad and he knew that his Dad felt responsible for the people in this town but... Stiles wasn't stupid. When shit hit the fan, _people_, not the infected would pose the greatest threat to his Dad.

Scared people would flock to the Sheriff's Station, expecting his Dad and his officers to help them, to protect them. It would be complete pandemonium. There would be parents carrying their crying children, families looking for each other, friends crying out... It would be chaos. It would be a raging crowd of frightened people looking for help, for protection, for sanctuary or even for weapons. There would be too many for his Dad and his officers to control and all of them would be trying to force their way into the building that, to them represents safety. It would be a bloodbath, a massacre and unless he could convince his Dad otherwise... he would be right in the centre of it.

Stiles couldn't let that happen.

So once again, even though he had hoped he wouldn't have to do this anymore, _he lied to his Dad_, "Okay, Dad, I'll drop it."

"Thank you, Son."

Stiles felt the lie fester in his throat. He knew his wolfy pack members had heard the lie and some were looking at him with confused expressions. Derek, Scott and Peter were looking at him in understanding.

If their parents weren't going to let them prepare for the upcoming shit storm, then the pack would just have to do it behind their backs.

* * *

**A/N: **alright guys here is the next chapter of 28 Days Later! Things will be picking up after this so keep your eyes peeled. I would love to hear what you think about the story so far so feel free to leave a comment in the box below or shoot me a message on my page if you have any questions.

Thanks again,

~Marci~


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